Arsenal midfielder Willian has revealed that he has been sent racist abuse on social media.

The 32-year-old Brazil international shared screenshots of abusive messages sent to him on Instagram.

“We cannot and will not let racist and hateful abuse become a normalised part of the game,” Arsenal said.

In the past week, Manchester United’s Anthony Martial has received abuse on Instagram and Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah has been targeted on Twitter.

A Twitter spokesperson said the account responsible for posting the Nketiah abuse had been “permanently suspended”.

It was the second time in three weeks that Martial had been abused, while team-mates Marcus Rashford and Axel Tuanzebe have also faced racism online.

Manchester United said their position remained unchanged from a statement issued at the end of January, when they said they were “disgusted” at the abuse and urged social media platforms and regulatory authorities “to strengthen measures to prevent this kind of behaviour”.

Willian showed his Instagram followers direct message threads from two different users sending racist abuse, in three separate messages.

The former Chelsea player wrote alongside the messages: “Something needs to change! The fight against racism continues.”

An Arsenal spokesperson added: “We all need to work together to drive this behaviour out. This includes clubs, governing bodies, fans, media and politicians; but requires the help and commitment of social media companies.

“We commit to using our voice and network to strengthen measures and action taken by relevant authorities to punish those responsible for this abuse which affects us all. Where any individual is found to have an Arsenal membership, they will be banned.”

On Thursday, Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said social media abuse being directed at players and officials was “the biggest problem in the game at the moment”.

Premier League referee Mike Dean notified police after his family received a number of threats, including death threats and abusive messages.

Earlier this month Facebook, which owns Instagram, said it would not ban a user who racially abused Swansea’s Yan Dhanda.

British Asian Dhanda, 22, was abused on Instagram after his side’s FA Cup defeat by Manchester City on 10 February.

In that case, Facebook said it had temporarily stopped the user from sending Instagram messages.

Speaking on 7 February, Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger said he has been subjected to “immense” racist abuse on social media.

Former Arsenal, Barcelona and France striker Thierry Henry is on the shortlist to become the new manager of Championship club Bournemouth.

The 43-year-old ex-Monaco boss is currently in charge of Major League Soccer side CF Montreal.

The Cherries are keen to talk to Henry, but would require permission from the Canadian club.

Jonathan Woodgate was appointed as caretaker boss of Bournemouth after the sacking of Jason Tindall on 3 February.

BBC Radio Solent reports that former Huddersfield Town and Schalke boss David Wagner is also on the final shortlist to replace Tindall at the Vitality Stadium.

Wagner was sacked by German Bundesliga side Schalke in September following an 18-match winless run.

Henry joined Montreal in November 2019, having spent just three months in charge of French Ligue 1 side Monaco during the 2018-19 campaign.

It was his first managerial role following a stint as assistant to Belgium boss Roberto Martinez.

Henry had been on the shortlist for the Aston Villa manager’s job in October 2018 before joining Monaco, where he started his playing career.

The Cherries, who parted company with long-serving boss Eddie Howe following their relegation from the Premier League last summer, are sixth in the Championship.

Former Middlesbrough manager Woodgate is unbeaten in his first two league matches in charge of the Dorset side, who host Rotherham United on Wednesday (20:15 GMT).

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says his “biggest fear” was losing his memory after suffering a brain haemorrhage in 2018.

Ferguson made the admission before the release on 27 May of a new film, Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In.

In the film, directed by his son Jason, Ferguson recounts his life stories on and off the pitch.

It covers his playing days in Scotland and his trophy-laden management career with Aberdeen and Manchester United.

“Losing my memory was my biggest fear when I suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2018,” said Ferguson, 79.

“In the making of this film, I was able to revisit the most important moments of my life, good and bad. Having my son Jason direct this film has ensured an honest and intimate account.”

Ferguson, who retired from management in 2013, had emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage on 5 May 2018 and was in intensive care for several days at Salford Royal Hospital.

The film, which will be shown in cinema and on Amazon Prime, includes previously unseen archive footage as well as testimonies from his wife Cathy and three sons.

His former players Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs and Gordon Strachan feature in the film, as does Archie Knox – who worked as his assistant manager at both Aberdeen and Manchester United.

Ferguson won three Scottish Premier Division titles and the European Cup Winners’ Cup, among other trophies, during eight years with Aberdeen.

He then went on to become the longest-serving manager in Manchester United’s history, winning 38 trophies in 26-and-a-half years, including 13 Premier League titles and the Champions League twice.

Zinedine Zidane has earned himself yet another accolade — this time in the world of social media.

According to a report from Espansión, the Coach Reputation Ranking has selected Zidane as the most valuable football manager on Instagram.

The report is organized by consulting firm Comunicar Es Ganar who “studied the performance on the social network” of the managers that currently remain in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League.

Having been active on the platform since September 2014, the current Real Madrid manager leads the way with a hefty 27.8 million followers.

After calculating the publication impact, interaction rate and mentions in the media, the report estimates that Zidane could potentially earn 200,000 euros per sponsored post with such a large outreach.

“The formula to monetize the activity of a trainer in social networks is to generate and nurture a community connected over time with the public figure,” said Yuri Morejón, founder of Comunicar Es Ganar.

“With current data, a commercial brand would pay from about 15,000 euros for a sponsored post on Instagram by Pochettino to about 200,000 euros for one from Zidane.”

Additionally, the Coach Reputation Ranking also analyzed the type of content being published and the image they project on both the manager and the club they represent.

Zidane’s posts are “frequently featuring his advertising commitments, personal projects and family reunions,” which “transcend beyond Real Madrid and the social networks themselves.”

After the Frenchman, the next highest manager is Juventus’ Andrea Pirlo (8.4 million followers) and Atlético Madrid’s Diego Simeone (1.7 million followers) is third.

Pep Guardiola, Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino then round out the top six.

José Luis Sánchez reported that “Hazard is recovering fast and should be back in the team soon, he’s very committed. He is already running with the ball 12 days after his injury and he has lost 4 KG in weight”. With his injury history with Madrid so far it’s easy to give up on the player but lets have a little faith and keep our fingers crossed that he can play a big role in the business end of the season.

David Alaba has confirmed that he will leave Bayern Munich this summer.

Alaba will walk away from Allianz Arena upon the expiration of his current contract on June 30, bringing to an end his 13-year stay in Bavaria.

The 28-year-old was offered the chance to extend his stay at Bayern, but has instead opted to seek a new challenge away from Germany.

Alaba told reporters on Tuesday: “It was not an easy decision. I have been here for 13 years and the association is really close to my heart. I am very grateful to the association for many things.

“I took my time because it’s not an easy decision to make overnight. I decided to do something new – a new challenge. I haven’t made the decision yet (on my new club), that remains to be seen.

“I decided to try new things next season and say good-bye to Bayern Munich. It was a difficult decision. I am not going to say anything about my next club, my agents are talking to them and everything will be decided in the future,” said Alaba.

“It’s no secret that my management is in contact with several clubs. But a lot is being read into it and I want to concentrate fully on my task here.

“Money has not been a factor in my decision.”

Speaking at his press conference, Alaba said, when asked about his command of Spanish: “My Spanish is not good, but good enough for the pitch.”

Other clubs like Chelsea or Liverpool are trying to sign Alaba and therefore competing with Real Madrid for the soon-to-be free agent, but it seems that Los Blancos have the edge but are waiting on Ramos’ potential contract extension to announce anything.

Assistant coach William Servat has become the third member of France’s management to test positive for Covid-19, the French Rugby Federation says.

Head coach Fabien Galthie and another non-playing staff member both tested positive on Tuesday.

The trio will now isolate for seven days, with France due to host Scotland on 28 February.

All players tested negative, though they have been advised to self-isolate at home for the rest of the week.

The FFR says none of those who have tested positive have shown any symptoms.

The players will be tested at home on Friday and again on Sunday when they gather at the National Centre of Rugby in Marcoussis to prepare for their match against Scotland.

France will announce their 31-man squad for that match later on Wednesday.

France are top of the Six Nations table after two wins from two, having beaten Ireland in Dublin on Sunday.

Ireland said no positive results were found when all members of their squad and backroom staff were tested on Monday.

Karolina Muchova fought back to stun world number one Ashleigh Barty at the Australian Open and reach her maiden Grand Slam semi-final.

The Czech 25th seed struggled with dizziness in the Melbourne Park heat but refocused after a medical time-out to beat the home favourite 1-6 6-3 6-2.

Barty led by a set and a break but was unable to stop Muchova’s comeback.

Muchova will play American Jennifer Brady, who beat compatriot Jessica Pegula, for a place in the final.

“It was very tough and I was a bit lost on the court and my head was spinning so I took a break,” the Muchova said.

“It helped me. I tried to get back, played a bit faster rallies so we don’t play the long ones as in the first set and it worked well.”

US Open semi-finalist Brady beat Pegula 4-6 6-2 6-1.

Barty, playing in her first Grand Slam for over a year after choosing not to travel, had not dropped a set on her way to the quarter-finals.

She took advantage of the 24-year-old’s wayward hitting to take the first set in 25 minutes, and broke her opponent at the first opportunity in the second.

A visibly struggling Muchova then called for the doctor, who took her off court to take her blood pressure and receive a full time-out.

On returning to the court, Muchova broke back and won five of the final six games to force a deciding set.

Barty had her opportunities in the third set, garnering two break points after losing her own serve, and a further three as Muchova served for the match.

But the world number 27 held firm to reach her first Slam semi-final.

Barty refused to blame Muchova’s medical time-out as the reason for her defeat, stating: “It’s not my place to comment whether she had an injury or not.

“If she wasn’t within the rules, the physios and the doctors would have said so. That’s the laws of our game, is that we have those medical timeouts for cases that are needed.”

Brady was one of the 72 players who was unable to leave her hotel room for 14 days on arriving in Australia.

She served for the first set against her good friend Pegula but a double fault belied her nerves.

However Brady hit back, with the 22th seed winning nine of the final 10 games to reach her second career Slam semi-final.

A strong server, Brady hit seven aces and 22 winners, upping her level as Pegula faded to finish the match with 39 unforced errors.

“We’re such good friends. I know we will have many more tough battles,” Brady said of Pegula.

“I felt the pressure from her. She’s such an aggressive player.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the Premier League should be worried about a potential rise in coronavirus cases because of next month’s international break.

City are away to Everton on Wednesday in a game that was postponed on 28 December, four hours before kick-off.

It came during a period when City, Newcastle, Fulham and Aston Villa were forced to call matches off and shut their training grounds after a surge in positive tests, which sparked fears the season would have to be paused.

The situation has eased massively, with the latest Premier League figures released on 14 February showing just two positives out of the 2,915 players and club staff tested over the previous seven days.

But Guardiola feels a problem is looming in the form of next month’s international games.

World Cup qualifiers are due to take place in South America, Asia, North and Central America, and Europe, while in Africa, the final group matches of the Cup of Nations qualifiers have been arranged.

“The Premier League should be concerned about this,” said Guardiola.

“The only way to be protected from this virus is to stay at home and social distance. No contact, don’t travel, don’t move. Now the players are going to their national teams and it is difficult afterwards to control it. So, unfortunately, something is going to rise.

“I would love to say it is not going to happen but from experience, it happened in two or three waves already. If you move, you take a risk to be contaminated.”

The number of positive tests occurring between the October and November international breaks was actually lower than the week immediately before the first break.

However, numbers did start to rise after the November break, going from 10 to 14 before reaching a peak of 36 in the period from 4-10 January, which was around the time when Villa and Fulham were particularly badly affected.

World governing body Fifa has said clubs do not have to release their Portuguese and South American players, although it is yet to be seen whether that will be enforced, particularly if players express their own determination to represent their countries.

English travel regulations require passengers travelling back from a ‘red list’ country – including Portugal and Brazil – to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days on their arrival.

“Now, in Britain, when I look at the BBC and see the stats about how many cases and the number of vaccines, I am really impressed,” said Guardiola.

“It’s getting much better but it is still there. When we relax a little bit it will come back again. That’s why, until spring or summer, we have to be careful.”

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane struck in the space of five minutes near the start of the second half in an away leg played in Budapest’s Puskas Arena because of Covid-19 restrictions.

It came after the Reds had fallen to three straight defeats in the Premier League – results that have led Klopp to concede defeat in their defence of the English top-flight title.

But Tuesday’s display was far more like the dominant side of last season, with their greater experience and quality ultimately telling against an error-prone German side.

“A lot of people probably expected us to slip again because of the situation, and the boys didn’t and I’m really happy about that,” Klopp told BT Sport.

“It was the game we wanted, the game we needed. Leipzig can be a real monster – they overrun teams, they are really physical and tonight we controlled them in an exceptional way.

“For two years we’ve been really good and this year we have some problems. It’s normal that the talks start – I have no problem with that. But the boys showed what they can do.”

Liverpool had largely dominated possession and created the better chances before the break but two defensive errors and two neat finishes swung the game and the tie their way.

Salah showed superb awareness to quickly latch on to a loose back-pass before finishing neatly.

Mane was then equally alert to take advantage of a fluffed attempted clearance from Nordi Mukiele to charge through and side-foot past Peter Gulacsi.

However, they had been fortunate not to fall behind inside five minutes when Dani Olmo’s header from an Angelino cross struck the base of the post.

Having managed the game well after going 2-0 up, Klopp’s side will defend their advantage at Anfield on 10 March, when they will be firm favourites to go one round further than they managed last season.

In the gap between their final group game and this, Liverpool’s season has imploded somewhat. Their long unbeaten domestic home record has come to an end, as has their challenge for this season’s FA Cup, and their last three league matches have ended in defeat – leading Klopp to wave the white flag on their title defence.

Tuesday night, though, was a much-needed reminder of the qualities that drove them to that league win and the Champions League trophy the season before it.

Having survived Olmo’s early header, they grew into the game, wresting control away from Leipzig before shellshocking opponents who reached the semi-finals of this competition last year, saw off Manchester United in this season’s group stage and currently sit second in the Bundesliga.

The game was billed as master versus apprentice, one of Germany’s finest managerial exports of the modern era in Klopp up against the country’s – possibly the continent’s – brightest young thing in Julian Nagelsmann.

It showcased a shared DNA between two sides intent on playing on the front foot in enemy territory. Players charged forward when they had the ball and harried in a high press when they did not. Fire fought with fire.

It made for a frenetic and fascinating spectacle, which tested even the most lauded of defenders and forced them into errors, chief among them Bayern Munich-bound Dayot Upamecano, who repeatedly gave the ball away as Mane and Salah buzzed around him.

Despite having the better of the first half, applying the more consistent pressure and producing the greater number of chances, Klopp’s side were unable to get their noses in front.

In the space of 30 seconds, Salah saw an effort blocked by Gulacsi after he had darted in behind the Leipzig defence before Roberto Firmino fired into the side-netting from an angle.

Mane headed over another opportunity, Robertson was inches away from the beating the back-peddling Gulacsi with an effort from near halfway and Firmino had the ball in the net but only after the ball had gone out of play before being hooked back into the middle.

However, these were all forgotten before the hour mark was reached as the German side snapped and Salah and Mane took advantage.

Leipzig never fully recovered, their only real chance of salvaging anything to take to Merseyside being a shot from an angle that substitute Hwang Hee-chan pulled wide in added time.

It represents a big foot forward towards the quarter-finals for the Reds and a first step on the road to potentially reigniting their flagging season.

Kylian Mbappe scored a stunning hat-trick as Paris St-Germain ripped Barcelona apart in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Nou Camp.

The night did not start well for last year’s runners-up when they fell behind to Lionel Messi’s 27th-minute penalty.

Messi, regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, was then upstaged on his own turf by France World Cup winner Mbappe as PSG ruthlessly exposed the hosts.

Mbappe danced past Clement Lenglet and smashed in the equaliser before stroking home from 10 yards to turn the game around.

On-loan Everton striker Moise Kean continued his resurgence by heading in unchallenged at the far post to put the Ligue 1 champions in control of the tie.

With Barca looking to pull a goal back, they were caught on the counter-attack and Mbappe curled in the goal of the night with his third.

The second leg takes place on 20 March in Paris, by which time PSG hope to have Neymar back from a thigh injury to face his former side.

Mbappe’s Success

Champions League meetings between European heavyweights can often be tense, nervy encounters but this was a thrilling end-to-end clash which will live long in the memory as Mbappe took home the match ball.

The 22-year-old fell agonisingly short last season when they were beaten in the final by Bayern Munich, and the Ligue 1 champions will take some stopping again under Mauricio Pochettino.

Sacked by Tottenham in November 2019, just five months after reaching the final of this competition, Pochettino looks to be moulding a side that will be considered strong contenders led by the brilliant Mbappe.

He had netted just one goal in nine knockout games for PSG before this game, but reversed that statistic in cold-blooded fashion.

The former Monaco forward became only the third player, after Faustino Asprilla and Andrei Shevchenko, to score a Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona.

He took his first majestically, trapping Marco Verratti’s delightful flick before ghosting past compatriot Lenglet and firing an unstoppable finish past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

The second was a poacher’s finish from 10 yards after the Barca goalkeeper parried the ball back into the danger area but he saved his best until last, curling in a first-time finish to stun the home side.

They should have had more but for Ter Stegen, who made superb saves to deny Layvin Kurzawa and Kean twice, but the Italian striker did find the net with a header on 70 minutes.

Though in command, PSG will know the tie is not over having been on the wrong end of a Barcelona comeback when the sides met at this stage in 2016-17, Luis Enrique’s men turning around a 4-0 deficit to win the return leg 6-1 with three late goals.

Riddled with debt and uncertainty surrounding the future of star man Messi, as well as presidential elections coming up next month, Barcelona were well beaten by their more sprightly and effervescent opponents.

Messi gave them the perfect start by converting a penalty after Frenkie de Jong was tripped in the box but it was all downhill thereafter.

They will look to a bad miss from Ousmane Dembele at 1-0, striking a weak effort straight at Keylor Navas from 10 yards out, as the turning point in the game.

Had that gone in it may well have been a tighter scoreline, and with Antoine Griezmann also missing from close range and shooting wide from the edge of the box, Ronald Koeman’s men were heavily punished at the other end.